One of the best books I have read for a long time. The depth and thoroughness of the research are amazing. The author paints a picture of a particular British social class at home, at war and in India from the 1880's to the 1920's. The descriptions of the trench warfare, the inane decisons of the commanders and the heroism of the medical staff are amazing. A great read, an easy read but a slow read because of the fascinating detail about places and people, famous and obscure. This book also has what simliar boos often lack: clear, easily read maps.

This is probably the most thoroughly researched book I've ever read and yet it's easy to read. The first few chapters on WWI, in my opinion, should be compulsory reading for young adults everywhere. Davis makes clear the tenor of the times which allowed and encouraged the kinds of mind-numbing slaughter that happened on the European battlefields of WWI, and this helped me understand better how that sort of waste of human lives can happen. These chapters are also the perfect beginning for this book in that we see how the characters of many of the early Everest climbers were forged by their war experience. I've read many books on Everest climbs yet, to me, this was the most enlightening and educational of all of them. The story is told simply, but with compelling details that allow the reader to 'be there' - and a book on Everest is about as close as I want to get!

A "massive, richly contextualized and minutely researched account of the ill-fated 1924 Mount Everest expedition, which cost intrepid British mountaineer, George Mallory, his life." Greg Quill Toronto Star

Dense but oh-so-interesting! Davis has researched this book for years and years, and - as always - his writing is clear and accessible. Some people call World War I " one of the worst tragedies humankind brought upon ourselves". Davis, though his focus is on Mallory, explores and finds threads connecting British imperialism, World War I and the history of mountaineering in Britain and in the Himalayas.